As a young and ambitious scout, I loved being outdoors and working to fly through the ranks.  I was always in healthy competition with my older brother and quickly caught up to him and passed him. Soon after I reached the rank of Life (one step below the BSA's prestigous Eagle), my cousin and his family started their own troop in their neighborhood.  Although this was much farther away from my current troop, I soon realized that he could use my help with his batch of brand new scouts.

My brother and I decided to leave our troop and join up with his.  Serving as Senior Patrol leader, I really enjoyed using my past experience to help the younger kids in the troop earn their badges.  Campouts were a blast being able to take the lead and teach them the things I knew.  Unfortunately, being in an environment comprised 100% of people much younger than myself, this left little chance for me to keep the momentum going that I had gained in my last troop.  Moving up the ranks quickly faded from my mind, and soon all I wanted to do is teach things to my new friends and their families.

I never did reach Eagle scout, but it felt great knowing that I had been able to lend a hand in the new troops time of need.  It felt extra rewarding when I saw the troop eventually award its first Eagle, knowing that I had helped form that person into who he had become.

One of my favorite things I learned in Boy Scouts, is a sense of citizenship, community, and character. Unfortunately in todays technology driven world, a lot of this sense has been lost.  It never hurt anyone to go out of their way to assist a neighbor in need. This is one thing that I hope all Boy Scouts realize along thier journey, and I think most do.  Dont be afraid to use your skills to help others because the smallest of things can change the world.